A Single Daffodil

“You’re...not Vita.”

That was Jayden’s reaction to my new chocolate-colored hair when I opened the door to my hotel bedroom the following morning.

“Do you see this? Do you see what she did!?” Sophia waved her arms behind me as I let Jayden into our room. He was staying in the bedroom across the hall. “She dyed her hair!”

“I can see that.” Jayden laughed at Sophia’s distraught behavior. “I like it. You look like a Russian Spy.”

“It’s so funny that you should mention that, because Russian Spy was exactly what I was going for..” I said with a smirk.

“But really, Vita. Why did you do it?” Sophia moaned. “I loved your blonde hair.”

“So you’ve said like 1000 times already.” I rolled my eyes, exhausted by her heckling. “I just wanted a change.”

And to throw off anyone who only recognized me as Harry’s ex-girlfriend, I added in my head.

“So what’s on the agenda today?” I quickly changed the subject. “The guys are playing Australia at 3pm and then I was thinking we could head over to the football stadium for the USA women soccer game against the English because I heard that game was going to be epic.”

“Eugh. Sports.” Sophia complained in the bathroom as she finished applying her makeup. “When are we gonna start partying, huh? I want to drink!”

“Actually, I have a party for us to go to tonight.” Jayden plopped down onto Sophia’s unmade bed and yawned.

“Oh?” Sophia’s head popped out of the bathroom door way. She wiggled her eyebrows. “Details! Details!”

“Well, you know Shawn White, right?” Jayden asked.

“Wait, who?” I asked sarcastically. Of course we knew who Shawn White was. Jayden never shut up about him and his ‘gnarly x game skills’. “Never heard of him.”

Jayden picked up a pillow and threw it at me. “Shut up, ya Russian. Anyways, he just got into town last night and he hit me up about some rooftop party happening in Trafalgar. Supposed to be pretty swanky. Your name has to be on a special list and everything. Also, free booze until 3am.”
“Honey, you had me at ‘Shawn White!’” Sophia giggled excitedly in the bathroom. She always had a crush on Shawn White. She always had a crush on any boy involved in anything, ever. “Ay, it will be fantastical!”

“Do I even have a choice in whether or not I want to go?” I squeaked, making a face at Jayden. I haven’t been to a real party in forever. I’d rather stay at the hotel, get some room service and catch up on Breaking Bad via Netflix. Now that’s a party.

“No!” Jayden and Sophia answered me in unison.

“Like I’m ever letting you out of my sight again!” Sophia sauntered out of the bathroom. She gave my new brown locks a pointed look.

“Yeah. I figured.” I sighed, standing up. “Alright, can we get out of here? I need to marinate my brain in caffeine a-s-a-p.”

After a spritz of hairspray and another round of mascara, Sophia was finally finished with her two-hour makeup routine. I slipped on my forrest green parka over my flimsy black sweater, pulled on my blue jeans and beige ballet flats before following Jayden and Sophia out the door. The weather forecast for today was on the extra side of overcast, which cooled down the summer weather considerably. Apparently the major heat waves wouldn’t hit England for another couple of weeks, so I made sure to bask in what little cool weather we had left. After all, we never got weather like this back home.

My favorite part about my dad being a coach at the Olympics was probably the insane amount of perks we got while we were along for the ride. The hotel provided us with a driver that would take us anywhere at anytime. We were even given special family passes that could get us into any Olympic game for free. Not to sound like a spoilt brat or anything, but that was a pretty sweet deal. And I got to spend this ridiculous adventure with my two best friends? Two thumbs up from this girl.

After stopping at a quaint breakfast cafe near Piccadilly Circus, we headed over to the stadium to watch the basketball game against Australia. It should go without saying that the USA team annihilated the Australians with ease. By the fourth quarter of the game, when the USA were up by thirty points, they just started showing off with their three-pointers and slam dunks. I caught myself rolling my eyes more than once when Chris Bosh and Kobe Bryant kept pulling out their old NBA tricks.

As the day grew older, I started to feel a twitch of anxiety grow in my core. I knew it was because I was anticipating this stupid rooftop party tonight. I just really didn’t feel like being social or meeting new people yet. I was still trying to find myself. And knowing Jayden and Sophia, the three of us will get separated within minutes of arrival. Jayden will pair off with Shawn White so they can talk about X Games things while Sophia will find herself a herd of men who will all simultaneously offer her a lighter when she pulls out a cigarette. And then there will be me, standing in the corner awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.
I wasn’t always this socially inept. I was usually on the same Social Butterfly level as Sophia when it came to parties, especially back home. I loved meeting new people and figuring out their story. I loved asking questions, observing their mannerisms as they spoke. I wasn’t the kind of girl who went to parties to get drunk and make out with the nearest dude. I was the girl who liked to make new friends, collect phone numbers, get into heated arguments about basketball teams.

But now I was a different Vita Spoelstra. I was weary about meeting new people. The thought of letting someone new into my world really stressed me out. I was paranoid they would only talk to me because I dated someone famous or because I have the power to get them into basketball games for free. I don’t know what happened, but I hated that this was a legitimate concern every time Jayden and Sophia brought up partying as a topic of conversation.

By the time the women soccer game between the USA vs United Kingdom ended (the UK won after a lot of catty hair-pulling, foul play and swearwords. What a show!), it was already well past 8:30 pm.

“Time to party!” Sophia exclaimed, snapping her fingers above her head and shaking her hips. “I have the perfect dress for tonight! Vamos a bailer!”

“Just got our names confirmed on the list. Shawn said.” Jayden declared as he scrolled through his messages on his phone.

I tried to hide the sulky expression on my face as I followed them to the town car that was sent from the hotel. I was being that friend. The friend who stayed quiet throughout the whole car ride while her other two friends excitedly talked about who would be at the party tonight (“Do you think Prince Harry will be there!?” Sophia almost drooled on my knee.). The friend who complained the whole time we had to get ready. The friend who started listing off statistics about how the likeliness of getting roofied in London was higher than it was in Miami while our driver took us to Trafalger Square.

“Alright, easy, Debbie Downer. Tonight will be fun!” Jayden finally said as we climbed out of the car. “We really need to get you a drink.”

“Or five.” Sophia smartly corrected him.

The roof party was everything I expected it to be: packed, loud, and boring. The only cool factor about the sky bar was the beautiful backdrop. The balcony looked right over the London landmarks, including the National Museum and Nelson’s Column. And just as I predicted, Jayden and Shawn got into a very detailed conversation about motocross and Sophia was melting over three guys who had the most obvious British accents. I silently excused myself from both conversations and decided to wander around the jam-packed rooftop instead.

The latest Beyonce song was roaring from the DJ’s speakers as I maneuvered my way around the loud and energetic chatter around me. It was very apparent that the English partied differently when compared to how they went down in the States. Everyone seemed much more elegant here, but somehow it seemed more effortless. Even though it was summer, some of the girls here were wearing very detailed clothing, like black feather-covered cardigans or suede button down shirts. There wasn’t a pair of low-rise, frayed denim shorts in sight. It made me and my very simple little black dress with gold zig-zag sequence detailing suddenly feel infinitely small.

I realized about an hour into my visit to the rooftop party that I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since my arrival. There were waiters walking around with a tray, holding glasses of white wine and little cubes of expensive cheeses, but I politely declined every time they approached me. I needed something harder. I needed rum.

“Rum and coke, please!” I asked the bartender once I reached the main bar area. He had bright green hair and a nose ring.

As I waited for my drink, I turned back to the party and leaned against the bar. I let my eyes roam across the sea of faces, hoping to spot Jayden’s familiar smile or Sophia’s flawless Latina hair.

But when my eyes breezed past the middle section of the party, I took a double take. No, triple take.

He was standing with a large group of people, the skin around his twinkling eyes creased as he laughed at whatever the man was saying next to him. His hair was an even bigger mess than before, but somehow styled to perfection. His eyes were still green, his black t-shirts still hung low enough to reveal his tattoos, and his jeans were still tight.

Harry Styles was here.

“Oh my God.” I gasped, pushing my back all the way up against the bar.

I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. I was staring. It was then that I realized that not only was he here, but he didn’t come alone.

My eyes travelled to the left of him to see that his arm was lazily draped around a girl’s waist. Tall, skinny, black hair, tan skin and a sultry pout that could probably turn every man into jell-o. She had both of her hands folded neatly on top of Harry’s shoulder, easily laughing along with him.

My heart exploded in my chest. He had a girlfriend.

“Miss? Miss?” I spun around to see the green-haired bartender holding a glass of rum and coke. “Your drink.”

I hastily took it and searched around desperately for Sophia and Jayden. I had to get out of here. I couldn’t let him see me.

I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing as I hopelessly searched for the exit. I was so frightened by the sight of Harry only being a couple of feet away from me, that I accidentally stood on someone’s foot.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” I apologized, swinging around to see who I stepped on.

“You’re alright, love.” My heart dropped somewhere near my feet when my eyes focused on the injured party’s face. I felt like a hiker who had just crossed paths with a hungry bear. I was frozen in my spot with eyes as wide as saucers as I stared at Louis. Of course I stood on Louis Tomlinson’s foot. Of course he was here too. The whole bloody band must have been here. “At least you aren’t wearing stilettos, or else that would have really been a--wait.”

He ducked down to get a better look at my face before letting out a huge gasp. “VITA SPOELSTRA? Is that you!?”

He yelled my name so loudly that anyone within a radius of a mile must of heard him. Without thinking logically, I yanked on his arm and pulled him down into a crouching position near the floor. There was no way Harry could spot us from down here.

“Oh my God, it’s you!” He continued excitedly. “What are you doing here? Why is your hair brown? Why are we down here? Are we hiding?”

“Shh!” I shushed him, checking over my shoulder to see if Harry noticed. He didn’t.

“I can’t get over this.” Louis grinned at me. “Have you seen Harry yet? Oh, he is absolutely going to flip when he see’s you--”

“That’s not going to happen.” I said sternly, checking over my shoulder again. “You need to help me find Sophia and Jayden and get me out of here.”

He let out another gasp. “They’re here too!? OH MY G-”

The ‘God’ part came out muffled the second I slapped my hand against his mouth. He was so loud that I was sure Harry would notice. Everyone else around us did.

“I’m sorry Louis, had this reunion been under any other circumstances, I would be jumping over the moon.” I said seriously. “But I need to go, like, right now. It’s been great catching up. You look great. Take care!”

I stood up quickly, placed my untouched rum and coke on the nearest table and hurriedly made my way towards the exit. I knew the damage was done now that Louis knew I was in town. He was Harry’s best friend; his right hand man. He was going to tell Harry I was here the second I left. The quicker I escaped, the better.

“Vita, wait!” Louis called after me but I ignored him, pushing past people vigorously. I was so focused on getting out of the damn place, that I didn’t realize I was heading right towards one of the waiters with a tray full of wine glasses. I guess Louis noticed before I did because before I knew it, he was yelling. “Watch out for the--”

It was already too late. My elbow collided with the edge of the tray. The waiter lost his grip on the tray, letting all eleven wine glasses crash to the floor in a loud, deafening sound of glass exploding.

I froze, covering my bright red cheeks with my hands. I was mortified because not only did I just cause a messy scene, but the first thing I did was look up to see who witnessed my mess.

My heart rate tripled when my eyes caught Harry’s.

He was staring at me like he’d just seen a ghost. His face went pale as his mouth fell wide open. His girlfriend noticed me too and immediately started asking questions in his ear, but he ignored it. His stare was fixated on me.

I couldn’t handle it a second longer. I muttered a quick ‘sorry’ to the waiter and dashed out of the party.

I took the stairs down to the main bar area, grasping the railing tightly as I jumped every other step. I didn’t have time to find Jayden and Sophia. I had to get out fast.

“Vita?” His voice echoed through the stairwell just as I reached the last step. Hearing my name leave his lips made my insides curl in on themselves.

I paused, slowly looking up. Harry was leaning over the railing. When our eyes met a second time, he let out a noise of surprise like I just confirmed all his suspicious. He called out again. “Wait there! I’m coming down!”

I’m coming down? My chest tightened with anxiety. I didn’t want to talk to him. What would I say? ‘Long time no see, pal!’ Fuck, this was a disaster.

I jumped the last step and ran towards the main exit. If I was quick enough, I could be in a taxi cab and on the way back to the hotel before he even reached the last couple of stairs.

My heart was beating so fast that I was practically out of breath by the time I reached outside. The sidewalk was busy with people who were waiting to get in. I looked back and forth on the street, desperately searching for a cab but there wasn’t a black car in sight. Harry was about to catch up to me any second if I didn’t act quickly.

So I did what any other normal girl would do if she was condemned to interacting with an ex-boyfriend for the first time in a year.

I ran.

I turned down the first street and promptly pushed myself against the wall of a building, making sure I concealed my silhouette from the street light next to me. If I just wait here for a couple of minutes, he’ll give up and go back to his party.

I held my breath, not daring to peak around the corner to see if he followed me. My suspicious posture concerned an Asian family of five as they walked past me, all ten eyes judging me like I was a thief or drug-dealer. I would of been suspicious of me too if I were them. I mean, who decides to hide in the shadows of a building for no reason?

Was I being ridiculous for hiding? Maybe. But I was scared to face him. I literally couldn’t think of anything worse than to truly stand in front of Harry and hold a conversation with him. I’d rather jump off a cliff. I’d rather stand in front of a target at a gun range. I’d rather be a fan of the--dare I say?--New York Knicks. I didn’t want him to know just how miserable I’ve been without him, or how hard it was to move on when it was all too easy for him. If he took another look into my eyes, they’d tell him everything I didn’t need him to know.

And, Christ, it hurt more than anything to see his arm around a girl that wasn’t me.

Just as I was about to pull myself out of the shadows and head towards the nearest Underground station (the tube wouldn’t be too hard to figure out, right?), I heard feet shuffling and coming to a halt. I quickly ducked back into darkness when I noticed it was Harry on the sidewalk. Fuck.

He looked tense as he ran a hand through his hair. He looked back and forth a couple of times before pulling out his phone. I sucked in my breathe, terrified that the tiniest inhale or blink would give away my location.

Harry looked frantic as he held his phone up to his ear. He was calling someone. After a couple of seconds, he started talking. I leaned in a little closer to hear what he was saying.

“Louis...yeah I’m outside.” He turned around in his spot. “Was that really her?...Fuck...you what?...Sophia and Jayden?...yeah I don’t see her...alright, I’m coming back up...See ya.”

As he walked back to the bar, I slowly turned out of my spot to watch his retreating figure. I sighed, wishing I wasn’t such a wuss. How did we let things get like this?